“New Year, New me”… and other lies we’d spin in 2017.

I’m pretty certain I did. And I have
no intention of climbing the scales to confirm, till I’ve had at least one
month for my weight to go back to sanity.

(Pray tell: what is the point of
depressing myself with figures, when I have the facts?)

Fact: During the one week holiday
period, I ate everything in sight.

(Ok, almost everything. I could not
bring myself to eat humans)

It was as though all the terrestrial
and aquatic animals slaughtered worldwide for the festivities took my diet with
them to their animal heaven. There was no ‘carbohydrates’, no ‘fats’, no ‘protein’.
Just FOOD.

But, like most good things, the
holidays have come to an end.

I will take my church’s annual
prayer and fasting this year very seriously. As you guessed, not just to pray
that any African remote controls from my village blow up even before take-off.
I might as well begin to drop the weight.

What better way, than to praise the
Lord while at it??

***

There is this thing every New Year
does.

The moment the clock hits 12 on the
morning of the 1st of January, the New Year resolutions are reeled
out. Everywhere you turn is a long list of things people will or will not
partake in this year.

The mantra I find the most amusing is
the “New Year, New Me” jingo. As though with the chime of the clock, the person
has been transformed into a Cinderella, suddenly dropping her/his old garb.

But… it is a lie we like to sell
ourselves that with the New Year, we have suddenly changed; suddenly, dropped
some bad habit in the old year.

It is important to call out this lie
to ourselves, because even as we push the responsibility of becoming better
versions of ourselves to the year, we should know that this denial of
responsibility is bound to fail.

Is it possible to become a better
person this year? Yes it is. But it is (and should remain) an ongoing process.
Not something that is flicked on like a switch.

We do not need to wait for January 1
of any year to identify our flaws, and work on them. This is something we
should do from time to time. To just pause, assess ourselves, and keep working
on us.

Hence, if there are things you
identified and began working on last year, rather than throw away everything
and begin with the “New Me” fad, continue to work on those things that you
began to work on last year, at least, until there is measurable progress.

***

“I will not get angry this year”.

Another lie.

(Which is why the good Book notes
that “surely, offences will arise”)

Unless you plan to build an island where no
other animal will live on, something or someone is bound to cause you some
vexation this year.

Even if you lived alone, without any
roommate sharing your pot of food, or you worked alone, without any colleague
annoying you with the smell of their N150 perfume, to the extent that you are
part of a human society, someone or something is bound to annoy you.

Perhaps, it may be the Nigerian
Government, and its selective amnesia exhibited in the President’s New Year
speech, in identifying certain problems faced in the past year, without a word
acknowledging the mass murders in Southern Kaduna, or Agatu, or Nimbo, vide religious and ethnic cleansing.

Maybe it is your boss who will annoy
you. Or your daughter. Or your side-man. Or your Priest.

Maybe even a combination of all the
above. But surely, you will get angry this year.

The important thing is to work on
the expression of that anger, so that the other party may genuinely see their
own fault. Let your annoyance be productive, in that you are able to make
something tangible out of it by correcting the offending party (with as much
control as you can muster), or make it a lesson to refer to in the future.

And, if like the Nigerian
Government, the offending party is not one that would readily take correction,
do not let it deter you.

After all, to who’s detriment would
it be if you bottled up negative energy and anger?

***

“I will make money this year”.

Ok.

But whether or not this turns out to
be a lie totally depends on you and what you do, or do not do.

Yes, the economy is tight. However,
this is the time to be innovative. Seek for products or services that members
of the public require, and find ways to provide same.

Be careful with your time too, what
you do with it. Excessive social media activity, which does not entail
promoting your brand, can be time wasting.

Cut down on ‘hang-outs’ and
‘turn-ups’. It is both time-wasting and money-spending.

While some leisure is necessary to
help you relax, remember that the Dangotes and Bransons and Winfreys did not
make their wealth by being leisurely or casual about their lives. You are going
to have to work a little harder, sleep a little less, wake up a little earlier.

Read a little something every day to
develop your knowledge about business, or branding, or your chosen career path.
You’d be surprised when the knowledge you acquire would come into play.

In all, remember that being a “New
You” is not a walk in the park. It IS a deliberate decision, to be accompanied
with conscious living. And even if you do not accomplish all you aim for this
year, that too is ok.

Don’t stop.

It may not take just one year. But
you can keep being better each day. One day, you will smile at the realisation
that you have grown and become much better than the person you used to be.

May the odds ever be in our favour
this year. Amen.

Paz,

Meg.

.

.

.

P.s. Innovation in no way refers to
‘money-doubling’ get-rich-very-very-quick
schemes, with no rational or explicable basis for profit-making, but which
purely thrive on their successful appeal to our inner
human greed.

Lol...new resolution doesnt really work for me. The only resolutions i make every day regardless of the year is to "make more money"... thats the motive. Anything not adding value to me and not increasing the figures in my account balance, i'm not interested.